Wheel.



A. M. STANLEY;

WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1914.

3 SHEETSHSHEET l'- afl/1111111) Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

A. Nl. STANLEY.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I. I9I4.

31.11.68.228. Patented Jau. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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@mg/,6. gj@ I A. Nl. STANLEY.

WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1914.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNTTEB STATES V.FAlllllNT FFli@lH`l.

ARTHUR M. STANLEY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSTGNOR T WARREN K.

BLODGETT, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

WHEEL.

Lacasse.

Specification-of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

Application filed August 7, 1914. Serial No. 855,622.

To all fr0/tom t may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. STAN LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in thel county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have, invented certain new .and useful improvements in Theelsg and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to wheels, and more particularly to vehicle wheels built up of a number of metallic parts oined into an integral structure.

The object of the invention is to produce a wheel which is cheap to manufacture and which at the same time is of great strength and rigidity and of comparatively light weight.

With the above obj ect i-n view, the present invention consists in the wheel hereinafter -described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of an automobile wheel constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. l is a detail view showing the flattened end of a spoke lying in' one of the recesses which forms one side of a spoke receiving pocket; Fig, 5is an elevation of one of the angle steel bars forming half of the wheel rim after it is bent into circular shape and before it is butt weldedgFig. G is a section on the line G-G of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a cross section of the wheel rim taken at a place between the spoke pockets; Fig. 8 is a .perspective view of the wheel; Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views showing the process of spot welding the spokes; Figs. 11 and 12 are detail views showing the process of projection welding the spokes; and Figs. 13 and 14 are detail views showing the process of rivet welding the spokes.

In the drawings, the invention is illustrated as embodied in an automobile wheel. The wheel consists of a rim portion 1, a hub portion 2, and spokes 3.

The rim portion 2 is built up of two pieces or halves 10 and 11 which consists of steel rings of L-shaped cross section. ln forming one of the rings 11 and 12 a bar of steel which has been rolled into the shape of ordinary angle iron, as shown` in cross section in Fig. G, is bent into the circular shape shown in Fig. 5. The ends of the ring are butt welded at the oint 12 to form a continuous ring. On the edge of each rim piece 10 and 11- is a lip 13 which is formed by means of a drawing die and serves to receive `the bead of the automobile tire 1l. While in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the ring is formed so-as to receive a clencher tire, it is obvious that the form of the rim may be varied so as to adapt it to receive a quick detachable tire or a demountable rim'. Vhile it is preferred to make the rim pieces out of angle steel as above described,never theless the rim pieces 10 and 11 may be made by stamping rings from flat sheet steel and then pressing them in a drawing die to give them the desired L-shaped cross section. By means of a die there are pressed in tie inwardly extending flanges and 21 of the rim .pieces 10 and 11 respectively a number of depressions 22 which match when the flanges are in contact to form pockets 23- for the reception of the ends of the spokes 3. The spokes 3 are formed of steel tubing and both ends of the spokes are pressed flat into the shape shown in Fig. l and in Figs. SL14. The pockets 23 are formed with comparatively narrow or flat end portions 24: for the reception of the flattened ends 25 of the spokes and with rounded or cylindrical rmouth portions 2G for the reception of a Ashort length of the cylindrical or tubular shank portions 2T of the spokes. The shoulders 29 which are thereby formed on the sides of the pockets at the junction of the flat and cylindrical portions thereof serve to positively lock the flattened ends of the spokes in the pockets when the flanges are in contact. The weakest portion of the spoke is at the point where the tubular portion 27 emerges with the flattened portion 25. At, this point the metal which forms the walls of a pocket 23 surrounds and reinforces the spoke and also serves to conceal the end of the spoke so that the spokewhere it emerges from the rim is tubular. This not only contributes to the strength of the wheel, but also conduces vto its attractive appearance. Op-

central piece has two outwardly and radially extending end flanges 33 and 34, and the two end pieces 31 and 32 have similar flanges 35 and 3G which fit against the flanges and 34 respectively. In making the end pieces 31 and 32, circular disks are stamped out ofsheet metal and these stampings are then pressed by means of dies into the proper shape so that'they form the rings of L-shaped cross section which constitute the end pieces 31 and 32. Theccentral piece 30 is built up of two parts 37 and 33. The two parts 37 and 38 are each rings of substantially L-shaped cross section which are stamped and pressed from sheet steel in the same -manner as the end pieces. The inner or tubular ends of the parts 37 and 38 are butt welded, as indicated at 39, so as to form the integral central piece or barrel 30 which is substantially U-shaped. lVhen the pieces 30, 31 and are formed, the recesses 40 are pressed in their flanges by means of a die. The recesses in the respective flanges match with ea( h other to form pockets 41 for the reception of the inner' ends of the spokes.

The inner ends, of the spokes are flattened like the outer ends and the pockets 4l have substantially the same shape as the rim pockets 23, the pockets by virtue of their .shape serving to form positive locks for the flattened ends of the spokes, and the cylindrical mouth portions of the pocketsserv'- ing to surround and support the inner ends of the tubular shanks of the spokes. rI'he pockets 41 at oppositeends of the hub are anmilarlyrofl'set or staggered so that alternate spokes are secured at opposite ends of f the hub as shown, for example, in Fig. S.

The inner ends of the alternate spokes are therefore separated axially of the hub aud this gives great lateral strength and rigidity to the wheel.

The tubular portion of the central barrel 30 is of smaller diameter than the tubular portions of the end pieces 31 and 32 so that at the ends of the central barrel 30 are formed shoulders lr ledges 45 and 46. ',l'hese shoulders or ledges 45 a-nd'4G may be utilized for holding bearings which are placed within the end pieces 31 and 32, and thus dispensingwith any separate operation for forming such bearing shoulders.

The wheel illustrated in Figs. l and is assembled and welded as follows: The rim pieces 10 and 11 are placed together withAVA the ends of the spokes in the pockets 23, and the three pieces 30, 31 and 32 Iofthe hub are placed together witlrthe inner ends of 'the union formed'between the-flanges'at the.

spoke pockets, the flanges are welded together at places between vthe spokes. The welds which are located between the spokes in the rim flanges are indicated at 5l and are nearer the outer peripheral edges of the flanges than the spoke welds. The welds 51 therefore firmly unite the two rim pieces close to the periphery of the wheel so as to cause the rim to better sustain the strains to which its'peiipheral portion is subjected. The welds which are located between the 'spokes on the hub flanges are indicated at 52 and servev to impart additional strength to the hub by integrally uniting the hub flanges vbetween the spokes. The welds are preferably7 formed by electric spot welding.

The process of spot welding at the end of the spoke in its receiving pocket is indicated in Figs. '9 and 10. The two welding elec-- trodes (S0 and 61 are placed on opposite sides of the flanges at .one of the pockets and the welding current is applied. The reduced end of the electrode 60 serves to l0- calize the current and soften the metal in a limited region or spot. After the metal is softened, the electrodes are pressed together to `form the spot weld which is familiar to those skilled in the art. The welded region which is indicated at G2 in Fig. 10 extends through both pocket walls andthe flattened end of the spoke integrally uniting the spoke and both flanges. The spot welds which are located in the rim and hub flanges between the spokes are similarly formed,the welded regions serving to form an integral connection' between the flanges at these points.

In Figs. 11 and 12 is illustrated the method of electric projection welding which may be employed in welding the parts of the wheel together. IVhen thematching recesses which form the spoke receiving pockets are pressed in the flanges, two oppositely disposedprojections 70 and`7l arepressed in the metal so that when the spoke is placed in thepocket the projections 70 and 71 lie against the flattened'end of the spoke. `Welding electrodes 72`and 73 are placed against opposite sides of the Apockets and the welding current .is applied. The projections 70 and 71 serve to localize the welding current so that the metal forming the projections 70 and '71 together with the metal of the spoke which lies between them is softened. Then the electrodes are pressed together forming the weld illustrated in Fig. 12. The welded region 74' includes the metal of the pocket walls and the metal of the flattened end of enous union between an integral and autogthem. A The welds in the flanges between the spokes may be similarly formed by projection welding;

- .In Figs..13 and 14 is illustrated the'method 'the spoke forming of rivet welding, which may kbe lalso employed in welding the partsof a wheel to- As shown in Fig. 13, a hole is bored gether.

` kthrough 4the metal 'where the weld is to be softened by the heat.

formed and a rivet 80 placed therein. Two

welding electrodes 81 and 82 are placed 'on' opposite sides with the ends of .the rivet, and the welding current is applied. The current is localized of the work in electric contact inthe rivet and the parts of the-metal immediately surrounding the rivet which are When the metal is sufficiently softened, the two electrodes 80 and 81 are` pressed together, lforming the weld shown in Fig. 14. The metal which formed the rivet is welded with the metal of the flanges and the spokes,- as indicated at 83 `in-Fig. 14, so as to forman nection vbetween all of "these parts.' The welds inv thefiangesr between the spokes may be formedin similar 'process of rivet weldforms an integral and homogeneous whole and there are no loose partsj'suchas bolts to break o r become loose. The' wheel, aside from being strong and cheap to manufacture,

resembles the artilleryT wheel and -hasan attractive appearance. l Whilethe preferred embodiment of the present in ventlon'has been illustrated and being welded integral condescribed, it is to be understpod that the invention is not limitedto its preferredpembodiment, but may be embodied in other types and constructions of wheels within the scopeof the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claimm v1. A metal wheel comprising a rim including two parts having flanges in contact with each other and having oppositely disposed recesses pressed in the flanges to form ,pocketsbetween them, said pockets havingnarrow 'flat end portions and round mouth portions, and tubular spokes having'flattened ends received in the flat end portions of the pockets and having short lengths of their tubular Shanks received and supported in the the pockets, Said spokes I round mouths of in the pockets by welded regions extending Vthrough the attened ,'endsof the spokes and including the metal of the pocket walls.

2. A metal wheel comprising a rim 'including two rings 'of substantially L-shape cross section having inwardly extending flanges incontact with each other, the flanges being provided with recesses pressed therein to .form pockets, and tubular spokes having flattened ends received -in the pockets and secured .therein by welded areas extending through the flattened ends of the spokes and the flanges.

3.`A metal wheel` comprising a rim including two rings of substantially L-shape cross section, each ring made of a bar of angle metal bent into circular shape and butt-Welded, the rings having inwardly extending flanges in :contact with each other and provided with recesses pressed therein to` form pockets between the flanges, and spokes y having flattened ends received and Welded the pockets.

I ARTHUR M. STANLEY. v Witnesses: A v

BUnToNeW. CARY, MIRIAM C. QUERY. 

